An Introduction to Construction Project management

Construction Management is both an art and a science, and is something that is usually quite hard to do. It is hard because one has to look at a broad range of variables, and try and guess what effect each variable will have on a construction project. For example, a construction manager in the middle of a project will have to take into account the following:

the weather,

the availability of construction workers who may be sick or may not feel like showing up for work,

the fact that some materials are out of stock just when they are needed,

the availability or non-availability of key equipment like cranes,

changes made to the existing design by architects and clients the previous evening,

It is the inter-relationships between all these variables and the effect they will have on the project that creates complexity in project management. Compounding these problems is the team from the owners of the building, who often sit in plush offices far from the construction site, have little understanding of the difficulties in building construction, and demand that the project be finished before time.

It is these difficulties that make it both extremely challenging, as well as extremely rewarding if done right.

Construction management is best done by people with a detailed knowledge of building construction, such as civil engineers or architects. However some aspects of this work, such as financial planning or procurement, can be done by people who do not have a construction background. With enough training and experience, a layman can gain enough expertise to work as a construction project manager.

Construction management can be performed by different agencies in a project. It can be done by the contractors working on the project, by the owners of the project, by independent consultants hired by the owners, by the designers of the project, or by the investors in a project. It is important to note that each agency may have differring aims and motivations in a project.For example, a contractor may want to increase the costs of the building, and an owner may want to decrease it. Independent consultants may wish to delay the project, as they are paid a monthly fee to monitor it.

The main aspects of construction management are:

construction scheduling

quality control

contract management

procurement management​

construction finance management

Let us look at each of these aspects individually.

construction scheduling

Construction scheduling is done at two different times. First, it is done after the plans are ready, but before the work starts at the site, in order to work out a timeline and calculate construction costs for the project.

Secondly, it is done during the execution of the project, when the actual schedule may differ from the planned schedule due to delays, weather, or any number of reasons. In this case it can also be called project monitoring.

Construction scheduling should be done by people with an excellent knowledge of building construction. It is usually done on specialised software such as Primavera, or Microsoft Project.

Construction scheduling demands a knowledge of what resources are required to produce a given outcome. For example, to complete a concrete slab measuring 5,000 ft2 in area, a contractor may require:

2,500 cubic feet of concrete

8,000 ft2 of formwork (the mould in which the liquid concrete is poured)

10 men

concrete pumps

4 days

Often, the time taken to finish a job depends on the resources available to the contractor.

quality control

Quality control is the most difficult part of construction management. Construction is done in difficult weather, in restricted workspaces like shafts, and on precarious construction scaffolding by workers that are tired, hungry, cold or hot, and with limited bathroom access. It is easy for them to take shortcuts to finish off a job.

A quality control supervisor must know how to check for quality for a vast array of completely different work items, from excavation in the ground to concrete or steel fabrication to finishing materials like marble or paint to services like electrical and plumbing. Quality control demands technical knowledge, and is best done either by engineers, or people who have years of training in construction quality supervision.

She or he will have to know the answer to questions such as: what is the correct proportion of water to add to a concrete mix, how to check whether wooden formwork is correctly laid and is perfectly level, how to ensure that the geometry of the building is not being distorted during construction, and how to provide adequate fire protection to vertical shafts.

contract Management

Contract management is dealing with the standard issues that crop up during a project. These include checking contractor's bills and paying them regularly, and dealing with the numerous issues that could occur, such as:

the contractor demands additional payment for the steel he is providing, because though his contract was signed in 2015, he is forced to buy steel in 2017 at a much higher rate due to global changes in the price of steel

the contractor demands additional payment for dumping of debris because a municipal dumping ground has been shut, and the debris now has to be taken to a new site much further away

the contractor demands an extension of 4 months because the architects and client made changes to the design while the project was underway

Each and every one of these items has to be ordered, paid for, checked when it arrives, unloaded from trucks, placed in secure storage, and issued to construction workers. Damaged items and non-functional items need to be replaced. Many items are sourced internationally, such as Italian marble, German door fittings, or Canadian glulam beams, requiring negotiations with customs authorities and clearance agents.

In addition, it is imperative that each item arrive at the site at exactly the right moment: if it is too early, there is no space to store it, and money is locked up. If it is too late, then the project is delayed.

construction finance Management

A large construction project can eat up tens of millions of dollars a month. Planning the finances for a project is a key activity for both owners and contractors. This planning demands a detailed knowledge of the project schedule. Once the project schedule is understood properly, calculations can be made of how much money will be required every week in order to keep the project running on time. Contingency planning also must be done for things that could go wrong.